- Date
- February 18, 1982, 23:40 local (Feb 19, 1982, 05:40 UTC)
- Place
- Hytop, AL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5552FPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report February 18, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820218004659A
- Case key
- 71137
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot filed and departed VFR into forecast marginal flight conditions. While en route the destination went IFR and this information was passed on to the pilot. The pilot replied that he was going to continue on and get as close to chattanooga as possible. The last radar contact with the aircraft was at 2335 when the aircraft was observed tracking westbound and then reversing course to the east.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5552F
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-24891
- Airframe hours
- 1,889
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Dax Dehaan
- Registered owner
- Dax Dehaan
- Departed
- Tupelo, MS
- Destination
- Chattanooga, TN
- Flight plan
- VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 34
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 56 total · 32 in this make and model · 15 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 200° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 120 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CHA, 44 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.